The Need for Secure Communications

The current conflict in Ukraine yet again reaffirms the need for secure, resilience, low visibility communications technology. There are numerous accounts of how intercepted Russian transmissions helped Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. From the early days of the war, Russia sought to destroy critical communications infrastructure to prevent Ukrainian forces from communicating. 

Talking or messaging on unsecured devices, like mobile phones, could allow an enemy to precisely locate friendly forces. Despite an influx of military-grade radios from Western nations, Ukrainian forces have often relied on secure messaging apps on mobile phones as their primary form of communication. Russia has noticed this and has reportedly tried to exploit it by spamming soldiers and civilians. 

Degraded communications are widely expected in future conflicts. U.S. military and NATO leaders have recognized the importance of being able to securely communicate on the battlefield for everything from directing troop movements to sharing intelligence. It’s why these leaders regularly speak of the need for better connectivity through concepts like Joint All-Domain Command and Control. But operators need a way to move that data- and the need for decentralized, low visibility, cost-effective hardware has never been greater. 

We at goTenna share that vision and believe the ability to communicate will help determine the outcome of future conflicts. It’s why we remain mission-focused and operator-driven as we develop new products to protect the safety of the people who keep us safe on the battlefield, along borders, or during natural disasters. 

Despite the critical need for hardware and deep tech, the category has historically lagged in investment compared to software-driven plays. We are excited to see that more and more investors are recognizing the need for hardware and deep tech to solve these challenges, as the United States cannot maintain superiority on the battlefield through software alone. goTenna is grateful to be backed historically and in our current fundraise by bold investors who understand this fact and have been rewarded by partnering with companies like SpaceX, Anduril, Ocean Aero and X-Bow.

The US needs a robust defense and deep tech ecosystem to maintain our technological superiority, and goTenna is proud to be supporting global operations for American and our allies.

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Lockheed Martin ONE9 Anchor Capital GP New Leaf Capital

IronGate Capital Advisors Chaos Ventures Mike Stritch, CFA

Founders Fund Union Square Ventures MentorTech Ventures Comcast Ventures